Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for the production of a product in a manufacturing environment according to an individualized client order, said product comprising a number of client specific components that have to be supplied by at least one supplier.
Up to date production entities are distributed globally though intensively coupled. This coupling is mainly caused by strongly reduced time and stock buffer which are located at interfaces of the process within the same and in-between these production entities as a consequence of the lean management philosophy.
Simultaneously, an increased individualization of the demand forces the companies to expand their product portfolios. Hence, a specification of the client's demand is shifting more often from the OEM (i.e. car manufacturer) to the first tier who supplies important components (i.e. driver seats) for the OEM.
The first tier suppliers require both stability in planning and time for the execution of their own processes—from their own supply chain to the final delivery. Therefore, the OEM freezes its fine tuning of the order management a couple of days prior to the eventual start of the production. During that time span, the customized components are manufactured and by use of just in sequence delivery (JIS delivery) synchronously to the scheduled production sequence at the OEM provided so that the final customized product can be correctly assembled and eventually manufactured.
Due to these trends, the delivery sequence without keeping a buffer of components on the stock are prone to disturbances during the frozen interval in a sense that the components from the first tier may not be delivered in due time. Each instability in the supply chain of the OEM usually causes at the OEM a production shortfall due to missing and/or defect components/parts. Missing parts usually cause contractual penalties at the supplier as well as a retardation of the delivery from the OEM to the client who ordered the product initially. In order to correct faulty products, it has to be reworked at additional expenses once the correct component is provided by the supplier.
A broad field of possible strategies against material and component shortage is offered by preventive and strategic measures taken for the supply chain risk management. Strategies such as dual sourcing or extended stocks providing improved supply security are generally sumptuous and not always reasonably applicable.
In order to actively prevent from production shortfall due to missing and/or defect parts, a manufacturer applies an emergency strategy when the supply chain is disturbed seriously. Typical measures in this sense are the demand for exceptional transports for the provision of the product in due time thereby costs then often play a subordinated roll.
A further option for the prevention of missing parts is the introduction of buffers directly aligned with the production line. This measure enables the OEM to remove production orders being tainted with JIS missing parts from the production schedule and to amend the sequencing of the production accordingly. Consequently, production orders initially having a later date are disadvantageously produced now earlier to fill the gap caused by the removal and secondly a response has to be given to the question at which place the removed production order can be re-scheduled in the product production pipeline.
Further, the prevention of production shortfalls leads nowadays to amendments in the sequencing which appears to be uncontrolled and inefficient. This deficiency causes additional efforts for the internal coordination within the production environment in order to synchronize the right components from the supplier with the intended product. In practice, missing parts therefore lead to incomplete products which leave the production having the status “not completed yet”. These products have to be re-worked as soon as the missing part has been received. Again, additional costs and further delay jeopardizes the delivery date to the customer.